Singled Out: Cruzados' On The Tilt A Whirl

Keavin Wiggins | 08-17-2021

Cruzados just released their new album "She's Automatic" and to celebrate we asked bassist/songwriter Tony Marsico to tell us about the track "On The Tilt A Whirl." Here is the story:

When I was a young teenager my friends and I anxiously counted down the days till the circus rolled into town. Barnum and Bailey's had it all- the sights, the sounds, the smells. It was one big scary mix of carny workers, lions, freak show oddities, motorcycle gangs, death-defying rides, and the one thing we were most interested in: Girls.

Of course, the girls we were most interested in lived on the other side of the tracks which naturally made them twice as alluring to us. On a hot summer night, we'd comb the circus grounds in search of these exotic beauties, hoping to share a ride together on the Wild Mouse, on the Hell Hole, or, in this case, on the Tilt a Whirl. The emotion was something beyond excitement, sitting side-by-side while the Tilt a Whirl whipped you 'round and 'round in circles, flipping your world upside down. We could hear the screams, the roar of the machine, and the whirring blur of flashing lights under the starry skies while holding our new dates close by our sides.

While writing this song I tried desperately to capture that moment in time when we felt young and free and nothing else mattered- not the past or the future- just that one fleeting feeling that would take hold of my heart and remain etched in my mind forever.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the album here.